The Falcon's Warrior
by C. Perez
Summary: Sasha Erin Sunshaunder is a young girl training at the Lishang Training School to become a warrior, or a Lishang madam. She unexpectedly discovers that she has magical powers. pls review! will add more when insparation strikes!


Madam Lishang Unicorn  
  
A gong sounded. Sasha groaned. Two years at this place already and she still couldn't get used to getting up before dawn. She rolled over on her straw mat and drank some water out of a glass on the low table beside her, pouring the rest over her head. A bit more awake, she pulled her blue uniform over her head. All around her, the other girls in the room were stirring and pulling on uniforms like hers: Loose cotton pants, a long sleeved shirt, and a white belt. Another day at the Lishang Training School had begun. Sasha braided her long, light gold colored hair tightly, slipped a heavy ring onto the end, and wrapped it around her head, pinning it in place. The ring was not simply for decoration. The Lishang students were not allowed to wear jewelry. If attacked, she could quickly unpin her braid and do a spinning kick, which, besides sending her foot into her assailant's midriff, would swing her weighted braid around and knock him out. She had never had to do this to anyone except a teacher in padding, of course. She slipped on a pair of cloth slippers and filed out of the dormitory with the other girls. They were met on the path by a line of boys in the same uniforms, also walking quickly to a large flagstone courtyard, where there was a wide wooden platform and more children of assorted ages and colored uniforms where gathered quietly in long lines. They all stood stiffly and waited. When it seemed that all had gathered, a short woman and a tall, thin man in black silk robes walked out onto the platform. The woman was Madam Lioness, the girl's head teacher. She was a wise old lady, stocky with muscle, and very strict. Get caught being impolite in her class and you'd have to help wash uniforms all day! Her iron gray hair was pinned in tight knot at the nape of her neck, and she stared regally at the students. Next to her, tall and stern, stood the boy's head teacher, Master Dragon. Everything about him was wiry, from his wiry black hair to his long, wiry arms and legs.  
"Good morning, Lishang students!" Master Dragon said in a strong, clear voice.  
"Good morning, Master Dragon!" chorused the students.  
"Is the first rank present?" asked Master Dragon.  
"Present!" cried the line of children aged 17 to 19 and in red robes. First rank meant that you were on your 8th and last year of Lishang training, and almost ready to become a master or a madam.  
"Is the second rank present?"  
"Present!" said the line of children aged 15 to 16 in forest green.  
"Third rank?"  
"Present!" yelled Sasha's group. Sasha's group consisted mostly of 13 year olds, though Sasha herself was 14.  
"Fourth rank?"  
"Present!" answered the 12 to 11 year olds in yellow, and finally:  
"Fifth rank?"  
"Present!" said the 10 and 9 year olds in gray, and Madam Lioness dismissed them for breakfast.  
  
After Sasha had served herself from the food tables, (today was fruit and porridge day,) she went to sit next to her friend, Buriann.  
"Morning, Buri." She mumbled sleepily as she sliced up a pear.  
"Hi, Sasha. Sleep well?" Buri grinned at her, eyeing her friend's tired face. Sasha groaned.  
"Buri, you know I'm not a morning person!" she answered with a little laugh. Buri stared unhappily into her bowl.  
"Ugh, I hate porridge." She moaned, drowning her bowl in honey and milk. Stirring the up the whole mess with her spoon, she asked Sasha,  
"What's the first class?"  
Sasha's gray-blue eyes danced with merriment. She put on a mock serious face.  
"Buriann, can't you remember anything?" she teased.  
Buri's green eyes danced right back. She pretended to pout.  
"You know perfectly well I can't. If I had remembered today was porridge day, I would have pretended to be ill. In fact, now that I've eaten this porridge, I probably will be ill. And if you ever call me Buriann again I'll kick-box you. Now, what is it?"  
Sasha thought hard.  
"Er. meditation first for an hour, and then kick- fighting.."  
Buri sighed.  
"Yes, now I remember. I hate meditation! How are you supposed to meditate when you're freezing your, er.ears off in that tiny little courtyard?!"  
Sasha rolled her eyes.  
Don't ask Me." she answered. Another gong sounded. Sasha stood up.  
"First lesson. C'mon Buri, we can't be late!"  
Buri grumbled a bit but stood up and hurried with Sasha to join the group of girls in blue hurrying to the meditation courtyards.  
They seated themselves quietly on some ragged brown cusions, set in a circle around a large black stone. On the stone, sitting cross-legged, sat Master Panther. He was the oldest teacher at the Lishang School, a shrunken, gray bearded man, with skin the color of ebony, and dressed in loose black robes.  
" Welcome, my children," he murmured in a soft, raspy voice. "Sit, sit. Make yourselves comfortable, and relax.  
Sasha caught Buri's eye and had to look away quickly when she saw her stuffing her long black braids in her mouth to keep from giggling. Master Panther did not seem to notice.  
"Now close your eyes, and breathe deeply." He said in a soothing voice. Despite the cold, Sasha began to feel drowsy. Her eyelids began to droop.  
"I'm really not a morning person." she thought sleepily. Her chin hit her chest, and then;  
"Wha.?" Tasha stared at her fingertips. She could have sworn that they had shot sparks just a moment before! She turned her hands over and looked hard at her palms. They were callused and creased, perfectly normal. She looked up to see Master Panther staring sharply at her.  
"M-ma-master." she stammered.  
"See me before today's evening meal, Sasha Erin Sunshaunder." He said sternly.  
Sasha looked at Buri and gulped. He knew her full name! She must really be in trouble. Was there a rule against accidentally shooting sparks from your fingers without knowing it? Buri looked back with raised eyebrows.  
"This lesson is dismissed." Master Panther said suddenly. Sasha felt his dark eyes on her as she stood up and walked out of the courtyard with Buri. Once outside, Buri asked:  
"What was that all about?"  
"Oh, er." Should she tell Buri? "No,"she decided in her thoughts. "I won't tell her about it until I know what it's about."  
"He just caught me napping, that's all." She lied airily.  
"Oh. Poor you." Buri gave her a sympathetic look, then changed the subject. "Your middle name is Erin?"  
"Yes. What of it?"  
"Well," Buri said, " I heard that was Madam Lioness's name."  
Sasha was interested. She had never known her parents, only that they had kept her long enough to name her and then given her to the Lishang Masters to train.  
"Really? Do you think my parents named me after her?"  
"I don't know," Buri answered," but it's an interesting coincidence, isn't it? I heard that Madam Lioness was the first female to be trained in the Lishang. She made it possible for us to be here."  
"Hmm. I never knew that." Sasha thought about it until they arrived at the kick fighting class. This class was taught by Madam Wolf, and required much concentration.  
"Now limber up, all of you." She barked, pinning up her reddish braid. "You have fifteen minutes to stretch. Today we learn a new kick."  
Tasha heard Buri groan.  
"Oh, no. More falling down and bruising."  
"Shh! Sasha hissed. " Here, give me your leg."  
They helped each other stretch until Madam Wolf said,  
"Alright! Now, here's how you do it." Her tall frame went into a fighting stance. "Buriann Starheart, come here."  
Buri grimaced at Sasha, but did as she was told. Madam Wolf passed her some padding.  
"Now, grab my shoulder, and stay still." She ordered. Then she grabbed Buri's hand on her shoulder, swung her leg in a counter clockwise circle and flipped Buri over her shoulder onto her back on the ground.  
Buri swore under her breath, then commented,  
"Ow."  
Madam Wolf laughed.  
"Yes, Buriann, even with padding, it is painful to have a crescent kick used on you. However, this kick is used to disarm, not kill. Now, I'm going to do it again, slowly, then I want you to pair up and practice."  
Sasha momentarily forgot about her finger sparks, practicing the kick. Madam Wolf browsed through the pairs, correcting and praising.  
"Very good, Eleni. Straighten up, Demeter. No, no, Anci, it's counter-clockwise, not clockwise!"  
Sasha was sorry when the class was over. For the rest of the day she dreaded her meeting with Master Panther. She did so badly in Madam Lioness's cudgel class that she was threatened with robe duty!  
"What happened back there Sasha? You're usually pretty good at this!" Buri asked as they left the class.  
"I don't know." Sasha sighed. All this lying was getting her down. "I guess I must really be dreading the meeting with old Panther at the end of the day."  
"Yes" Buri agreed. "But come on. It's my favorite lesson of the day next! Dinner!" Sasha laughed and began to run.  
"Race ya!" she yelled at Buri.  
"Oh, no you don't!" Buri yelled back, putting her long legs into motion. They arrived panting at the dining hall and quickly served themselves. They had just begun to eat when Sasha realized she'd forgotten her meeting with Master Panther!  
"Oh no!" she exclaimed. "I forgot my meeting!" She jumped up and began to run as hard as she could toward the meditation courtyards.  
"I'll save you some dinner!" she heard Buri call, but she had no time to answer.  
She checked herself at the courtyard entrance, and walked slowly in. she saw that Master Dragon was there, as well as Madam Lioness and Master Panther. She bowed respectfully.  
"Masters. Madam." She murmured. She could feel Master Dragon's eyes boring into her back. She straightened and met his gaze.  
  
"His eyes are the same color as the porridge we had for breakfast." She thought wryly. Suddenly, he spoke.  
" Sasha Erin Sunshaunder. Please explain to us what happened in your meditation class today."  
Sasha hesitated.  
"Well, er, I was tired, sir, and I, um, almost fell asleep, except then I though I saw sparks shoot out of my fingers, sir." She held her breath, hoping that he would believe her.  
He stared at her for what seemed like an age.  
"Hmm, yes.Master Panther told me he saw sparks come out of your hands, too. Do you have any idea why?"  
"N-no, sir." Sasha stammered.  
He stared at her again. Finally he spoke.  
"we have thought about it Tasha, and we believe that you may be gifted."  
"Wuh-what?!" Tasha cried. What was he talking about?  
"To be gifted, Tasha, is to have magical powers. Has no one ever told you this?"  
"No, sir!" Magical powers? Was he mad?  
"We believe that your powers have just been revealed to you. Today, when you where less than conscious, your brain stopped controlling your powers, resulting in the sparks. We believe if you learn to use your powers, you will be able to stop things like that from happening. Now, Madam Lioness, if you please."  
Sasha watched dumbly as Madam Lioness stepped forward.  
"I am gifted as well." She said to Sasha. " I am going to run some tests on you to see if you truly are gifted. Stands still and don't move. This will not be painful."  
Before Sasha could protest, Madam Lioness had raised her arms and spoken a single word;  
"Revealus." Something like green sparkling mist enveloped Sasha, then dispersed. Suddenly, Sasha saw that her whole body was glowing blue! She screamed.  
"Escondu!" Madam Lioness cried, and Sasha abruptly stopped glowing.  
"Wuh-wuh-what was that?" she asked shakily.  
"That was your gift." Madam Lioness answered her.  
"I used a spell to reveal it. Yours is blue, like mine is green. Now that we know you are gifted, we will have to teach you how to use your gift. Report to us at the garden tomorrow. You are dismissed. Oh, and Sasha?"  
Sasha turned.  
"Tell no one."  
Sasha left the courtyard in a daze. She felt numb. She was going to walk back the dining hall, but then remembered that dinner was probably over by now. She didn't feel that hungry anymore any way. She tried to think.  
"What is wrong with me? I should tell Buri. Oh, but they said not to tell anyone! What am I going to do? What if they think I'm making spells on myself so I pass tests and things? What if they don't trust me anymore? Oh no, what if they tell the instructors?!" Sasha was so deep in thought that she almost walked straight into Buri.  
"Whoa, there!" Buri yelled. "Watch where you're - oh Sasha, it's you. D'arvit! You look like you've seen a ghost! What happened?"  
Sasha took a deep breath. "Buri, I-"  
"Sh!"  
Buri pulled her into the shadow of the courtyard wall just as something large and black flew directly over the spot they'd been just a moment before. Sasha gasped. The thing circled silently, a shapeless blob against the evening sky. She saw the gleam of something silvery, shiny. Suddenly the thing pulled sharply upwards and disappeared into the sky. They waited until they were sure it was gone, then crept cautiously back onto the path. Once there, Buri grabbed Sasha's shoulders and made her face her.  
"There is something you aren't telling me, Sasha Erin Sunshaunder." Buri murmured, staring into Sasha's eyes. "Start at the beginning."  
Sasha resisted the urge to look away from Buri's piercing green gaze. Once again she took a deep breath.  
"You must tell no one about this, Buriann Starheart." Buri nodded somberly, never taking her eyes from Sasha's pale face. Sasha proceeded to tell her friend everything that had happened since that morning in meditation.  
"So," she concluded agitatedly, " I have no idea what to do. I have a very bad feeling about this." Buri had let go of her friend's shoulders.  
"I believe you." She said. " I think that you should take the lessons. I bet you the magic will come in handy when we have to defend our selves and our country, the way Madam Lioness always tells us we'll soon have to do. She acts like war could break out everywhere all the time!"  
Sasha sighed. "For all we know, we may have to go to war. I don't know what's going on at our borders. Perhaps Madam Lioness will tell me something tomorrow. Maybe she can tell me something about my parents. Who knows?" the two girls began to walk towards the dormitory.  
"I saved you some vegetables and rice, but that's all I could manage." Buri said apologetically. Sasha smiled at her friend.  
"Thank you Buri. That's all I have a stomach for tonight any way. " She answered tiredly. They walked the rest of the way in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. They entered the dormitory quietly, treading lightly on the stone floor. Some of the girls where still awake, talking softly to each other, or playing simple games. Sasha sat down on her mat and removed her slippers while Buri went and got the food she had saved. As Sasha ate, Buri told her about the after dinner announcements she'd missed.  
"Oh Sasha, the boys have a new student and he is so handsome! He was training at a Lishang school somewhere else last year, I think at the capital city of Genivah or someplace, but left and came here. Hmm, I wonder why? His name is Shale Ironarm, by the way. What do you think?"  
"Huh?" Sasha had been thinking about the next day's magic lesson.  
Buri gave her a little slap on the leg. "Just you wait until you see him. That'll take all thought of magic out of your pretty little head!"  
Sasha stuck her tongue out at her. "Do we have any evening work to do?"  
Buri groaned. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot. We have to practice reading riddles all this week. I think at the end of the week we have to do a mock mission and it involves riddles and survival, because we have double survival lesson after meditation tomorrow. Oh, except you have it after magic. Here's the paper with the riddles for today. Just fill it out and give it to Madam L. the day after tomorrow. I think that's all."  
Sasha sighed again. "Remember, Bu, don't tell any one about the "M" thing, ok?"  
Buri put her hand on her heart. " I swear upon my Lishang honor not to tell soul. There, that good enough for you?" she asked.  
Sasha could not help grinning. "Thanks." She said.  
"No problem." Buri grinned back. "Now go to sleep."  
Sasha woke up the next morning even more tired than she usually did. She had been up half the night thinking about her magic lessons the next day. She was extremely nervous. She could hardly force down any breakfast, even if it was her favorite (raspberries on cereal) and even the encouraging smile Buri gave her could not lift her spirits. She felt like a freak, watching all the other children filing happily off to their meditation or wilderness or kick-fighting classes. Finally, and with a big sigh, she rose and began to walk to the school garden. The garden was a quiet beautiful place, a place where Sasha loved to go on every free day at the end of the week and just relax among the rock gardens and ferns and gurgling streams. But today she didn't even notice the scenery, her nervousness had escalated to a point near panic. She was afraid of magic. She knew Renisania's history; how evil sorcerers had attacked and tried to conquer her country and had been fought off by many brave souls. She wondered how many of them might have been gifted, and used their gifts, to save Renisania.  
Sasha was jolted out of her reverie by a tree branch that nearly decapitated her. She ducked and stumbled, nearly running headlong into a stream. Cursing, she jumped and, barely avoiding the stream, and tripped over a rock. She finally came to rest at the bottom of a small hillock and lay on the ground, swearing colorfully and panting. Suddenly there was a head above her. She recognized Madam Lioness' gray hair and stern face.  
"My, my, Sasha Erin Sunshaunder. Are you quiet all right? Stand up, child!"  
Sasha stood up sheepishly, brushing off her uniform and re-pinning her braid hastily.  
"I'm sorry, Madam." She said politely, bowing as respectfully as she could with a sore back. "I tripped, you see."  
"Hmm, yes." murmured Madam Lioness with a severe look. " Well, now that you are here, let us begin."  
Sasha's nerves returned full force. She followed the Madam with legs that barely cooperated with her brain's commands to walk. She was led to a large, open, grassy space, a lot like a meadow. Madam Lioness turned to face her.  
" Ahem. Now, the first thing you must know is that your powers are not unlimited. Your gift can easily run out, as well as your strength, which is why it is important to practice. You must build up the strength to control the spells. Your powers are nothing to you if you do not know how to use them. Control and strength are everything with magic. You must never forget that. Do you understand?" 


End file.
